Vintage · Plan No. V-1928

The Corresponding Secretary

A rustic-lodge pattern circa 1931, reproduced with intentionally unresolved joinery.

$185

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Named for the fraternal-lodge officer whose meeting minutes our archivist found the original pattern folded inside — a rough drawing on the back of an agenda for a vote on clubhouse roof repairs that, per the minutes, did not pass. The birdhouse pattern survived. The clubhouse roof, we gather, did not.

The joinery throughout is left visibly unresolved: gaps at the roof seam, a chamber wall that does not sit perfectly flush. We were asked, more than once during development, whether this should be corrected for a "cleaner" plan. It will not be corrected. The gaps are the plan.

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A moss-covered rustic wooden birdhouse with a naturally weathered finish.

Specification Sheet

FOOTPRINT6" × 6.5" irregular

OVERALL HEIGHT12" ± 0.5", intentionally

ENTRY DIAMETER1.5" (bluebird spec)

PRIMARY MATERIALRough-sawn cedar, bark edge retained

JOINERYButt joint, nailed, unresolved by design

FINISHNone. Weathers on its own. This is the point.

DIFFICULTYBeginner · precision actively discouraged

SHEETS INCLUDEDElevation, cut list, provenance note

On the Provenance

We have not been able to identify the lodge, the town, or the Corresponding Secretary in question, and have decided this is correct — a pattern this modest was never meant to be traced, only used. The name is our archivist's small act of memorial for an officer whose only surviving contribution to the historical record is a birdhouse and a failed roof vote.

Materials Note

Rough-sawn cedar with the bark edge retained on at least one face is specified deliberately. Dressed lumber will produce a technically superior and philosophically incorrect result. Clients seeking a smoother finish are directed, warmly, toward the Modern line.

Assembly Notes

Gaps at the roof seam are intentional and should not exceed 1/8" nor be sealed. Weather intrusion at this scale is, per our research, cosmetic rather than structural.
Nail placement need not be perfectly aligned. The original was not. Neither, we suspect, was the roof vote.
No finish is applied. The plan set includes weathering notes describing the expected patina timeline, which is faster than most clients anticipate and, without exception, better than most clients expected.